Run From Your Past
by FandomJas
Summary: The Doctor and Clara find themselves in a land that chooses one person and replays that person's worst memories. How will The Doctor react to Clara's worst memories? Will Clara know how to keep herself together? And overall, will The Doctor be able to help Clara run from her past? (Whouffle)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys! FandomJas here. This might be a sort of long Author's Note, who knows? We'll see how it goes. Anyways, this is my first *long* fanfic. I've written/thought up short stories about my fandoms for years, but I've never really posted them anywhere or told anyone about them (other than roleplays, of course). Hopefully this goes well! Please feel free to review, rate, whatever! I'll try to post more if you guys like it. See you later!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who or ANY of its characters! Seriously. If I did, this fanfic would be an episode. Or a two-part episode. I don't know. The point is, I own nothing except for this story.**

Clara woke up to the sounds of the TARDIS. It was a truly wonderful way to wake up, the soft yet loud sounds emitting from the strange blue box that appeared out of thin air. Of course, it _was _4 in the morning, so she wasn't exactly happy that she'd been woken up. But she wasn't too angry either, because she knew her clever Doctor was in that box, waiting for her.

She stood up quickly, slipping into her boots and running a brush through her hair. She didn't worry about changing out of her clothes. Wherever they were going, The Doctor would either have a special outfit for her, or wearing pajamas wouldn't matter. She went towards the door of her bedroom and stopped. _My bag! _She turned around and grabbed her bag, swinging it over one shoulder and letting the thin string cross over her chest and to her other side. Clara felt it thump against her leg - her cell phone was in it, thank god - as she ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time. As she entered the kitchen, she grabbed a sticky note and a pen. She scribbled on the paper until the ink worked again, then jotted down a note for the Maitlands. _I'm going out with a friend for a bit. Stay safe, alright? There's food in the fridge. Heat it up and you'll be fine. I won't be gone long. -Clara. _She blushed slightly, knowing Angie would go on and on about her friend. "I told you, Dad. Clara's friend, The Doctor - He's _totally _her boyfriend." Was what Angie always said. Clara rolled her eyes and ran out the door, running even faster towards the TARDIS.

"Clara!" The Doctor exclaimed happily as Clara ran in. He was leaning against the TARDIS console, his clothes neat, adjusting his red bow tie. "Nice pajamas. I think the red robe really suits you." "Shut up, Doctor." Clara laughed, rolling her eyes. She set her bag down. Suddenly, there was a huge gust of wind in the TARDIS and her bag was sucked into the wall. Clara ran to the center console, staring at it with her dark brown eyes narrowed. "I swear, Doctor, she really hates me." "Don't be silly. Come on, give Clara back her bag!" The Doctor said, a wide grin on his face. A few moments passed, and then Clara's bag fell from the ceiling and hit Clara on the head. She winced and caught her bag. "Ouch! That hurt, you know."

The Doctor just smiled and pushed buttons on the console. Clara walked over to him and stood behind him.

"Doctor?"

"Hm?"

"Where are we going?"

"I don't know."

"_When _are we going?"

"I don't know that either."

At this, Clara raised an eyebrow. "Y'know, Doctor, even though it doesn't always go as planned, you do usually have an idea of where and when you _want _to go." She said, crossing her arms. The Doctor chuckled and turned around, leaning against the console. Why did he always lean against the console? "The TARDIS has been malfunctioning for a while. I wanted to stop somewhere and try to fix her up, so I thought I'd just come here. I was lonely, and you seemed like great company!" He finished his sentence by throwing his arms up in the air excitedly. Clara laughed and shrugged. "Alright then." She sat in a chair and crossed her legs, watching as The Doctor worked.

A while had passed before The Doctor had finally jumped back in triumph. Clara had dozed off, and she snapped awake. "Did you figure it out?" She asked, standing and stretching. The Doctor nodded happily. "I'll set it to go to someplace in 1841. Random year. Just to see if she's all better." He said. Clara nodded her agreement. The Doctor pressed a few buttons, typed in a few numbers, and pulled a few levers. The TARDIS then gave a huge lurch, and The Doctor and Clara were sent flying, hanging on to the rails. "Doctor! Is this supposed to happen?!" Clara shouted, her eyes wide as she stared at The Doctor. "Of course not!" He shouted. Throughout the TARDIS, the words "MALFUNCTION! MALFUNCTION!" were on each screen. Clara looked at his face, and immediately she felt extremely worried. The Doctor looked worried.

In a few moments, the TARDIS stopped. Clara carefully stood up, but The Doctor ran to the door. "Doctor, I don't think that's a good id-" Her words were cut off by The Doctor swinging the door open, and a large gust of wind taking him and Clara out of the TARDIS. The TARDIS doors closed, and it immediately disappeared. "No! Bring her back!" The Doctor said, his eyes wide. How would they get back? "Doctor... Where are we?" Clara asked. The Doctor looked around, also very confused. "I... Don't know."

Their surroundings were almost completely empty. It was as if they were just standing in complete nothingness. Everything was tinted a pale blue, white-ish color, and there was nothing but the ground and a vast field. A blinding light suddenly came from above, switching from The Doctor to Clara, The Doctor to Clara, until finally it rested on Clara. "Doctor, what's happening?!" Clara said, her eyes wide with fear. The Doctor tried to grab her, but the light had lifted her out of reach. Clara's eyes closed, and their surroundings slowly but surely changed. The light disappeared and Clara fell. The Doctor ran and caught her. Both of them blushed slightly but neither of them noticed. They were in a hospital room. A woman was lying on the bed. The woman looked like Clara, but not exactly - her nose and was different. A man and a girl, the girl looked 16, were standing beside the woman's bed. The man also looked like Clara, with the same nose. The girl was, unmistakably, Clara. Which meant... "Your parents." The Doctor said, his eyes widening with realization.

The woman in bed, the man beside 16 year old Clara, the light picking up Clara and forcing her eyes shut, their surroundings changing - it all suddenly made sense. "I don't know what this place is called. But whenever someone lands here, the beings here choose one person to use their bad memories. They go through that person's head and choose the worst, heartbreaking memories that person has and they change this place so that you see that memory re-played right in front of you. You relive your worst memories. I-" The Doctor stopped and looked at Clara, seeing her face. "Clara...?" Clara's face was pale. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she let out a sob every few seconds. She looked at her mother on the hospital bed and let out another sob. Not taking her eyes off of her mother, her voice cracked and shook as she spoke. "M-Mum..."

**A/N: The next chapter should be up soon if people actually read this and like it. Don't forget to comment! Bye~~ FandomJas**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! It feels good to be back, typing on the keyboard. I had loads of fun on vacation (Harry Potter Celebration at Universal!), in case you guys were wondering. Anyways, I'll just get right to the story! As always, I don't own Doctor Who.**

Clara's face was pale. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she let out a sob every few seconds. She looked at her mother on the hospital bed and let out another sob. Not taking her eyes off of her mother, her voice cracked and shook as she spoke. "M-Mum..."

The Doctor's eyes widened slightly. He hadn't realized how much a memory could hurt Clara. Then again, if he had to face some of his worst memories... _Rose, Donna, Amy, Rory... _He shuddered at the thought. "Clara, look at me." He put his hand on Clara's cheek. She looked at him, trying to stop herself from continuing with her sobs. _I probably look pathetic... But oh my god, Mum... _She let out another soft sob. The Doctor hugged her to him tightly. "It's just an image, Clara. I'm sorry, but we can't do anything to change it. You know how this ends. It already happened, Clara. Be strong." He finished with his voice soothingly soft. Clara nodded, breathing shakily.

Clara winced as she heard the heart monitor attached to her mum make that sound. That awful sound that meant the end. She stiffened and clung to The Doctor without realizing it. The Doctor lightly kissed the top of her head. "It's okay, Clara. It's okay." He whispered. Clara suddenly fell to the ground, her eyes being forced closed again as the same golden light surrounded her. "Not again." The Doctor groaned, worried. Worried about _Clara. _Their surroundings changed once more.

They were standing in a wide field at a secondary school. A 17 year old Clara was in the middle of a bunch of girls, crying softly. The girls were laughing and taunting her. "You're so dumb and ugly. No wonder your mum died a few months ago. If I had a daughter like you, I'd die too!" The girls laughed and continued on like this. Finally, one of them stepped up to 17 year old Clara and punched her, sending her straight to the ground.

Clara's eyes widened, her face pale. "Doctor, no, don't look. Stop looking. Please stop looking!" She said frantically. The Doctor was frowning, worry and sadness in his eyes. "Clara... Why aren't you fighting back?" He asked quietly. "Stop watching, Doctor! Please! I don't want you to see-" Clara's words were cut off. _Oh no. No, no, no, no, no. Not this. _Silence fell over the memory as 17 year old Clara's jacket flew off. Bruises were all over her arms. The girls burst into loud laughter. "Aw, looks like you'll never be able to escape the injuries left by us!" They laughed. 17 year old Clara picked up her jacket and ran, running as fast as she could as the sobs got louder and louder. The memory disappeared.

The Doctor turned to Clara, his eyes wide and slightly teary. Clara was crying again. "Clara... Why didn't you tell me you were bullied so badly?" "There w-was no use in saying anything..." She whispered. She suddenly looked around, frowning and trying to stop the tears. "Doctor... We're just in nothingness again. There aren't any more memories." She said, smiling half-heartedly. The Doctor looked at her and didn't say anything. The TARDIS arrived in a few seconds. The Doctor rushed inside of it, not saying a word to Clara. Clara's frown deepened and she followed him. _What's up with him? _She thought, starting to get worried. Had she done something? Had she said something?

Moments passed before The Doctor finally broke the silence. "Clara... How could you say that there was no use in saying anything?" He said shakily, not looking at her. Clara stood up from where she'd sat down. "Doctor, what do you mean? There _wasn't _a use in saying anything." She said, walking towards him slowly. The Doctor turned around, and Clara gasped. Tears were traveling down his cheeks, slowly dripping from his chin onto the floor. "Clara, when something bad happens to you, I need to know! Don't you understand? Teenage girls _kill themselves _because of bullies, even if it happened years ago! _I need to know these things, Clara! I need to keep you safe!" _He said, raising his voice even though it shook.

Clara stared at him, her mouth open slightly. Did he really care that much? "Doctor... I'm sorry, I-" "Is there anything else that you need to tell me, Clara? I want to help you. I need to help you. I've been all over the universe, I can see what it does to a girl's self esteem when she gets bullied. You need to know this, Clara: You're smart, and you're beautiful. You're witty, you're sassy, you're charming, you're funny... You are so impossibly amazing. You're my impossible girl. My Clara. If you died again, I wouldn't be able to handle it." The Doctor said. He was holding Clara's hands gently.

Clara looked at him. "Thank you, Doctor. Thank you so much for saying those things." She smiled and sniffed, tears of joy in her eyes. He really _did _care about her. "But, um... What do you mean, if I died _again?" _She asked. The Doctor looked at her and let go of her hands, shaking his head. "Don't ask. Just leave it. Act like I never said anything." He said. He cleared his throat and wiped his eyes, then smiled at her. "When and where do you want to go?" He asked, grinning again, just like his old self. He acted like nothing had happened - no sadness, no seriousness. _It's like he just had a huge mood swing. _Clara thought, laughing slightly. She pondered over the possibilities for a few minutes before finally turning to The Doctor, her eyes sparkling. "I don't know why, but... I really want to go to Victorian London!" She said excitedly. The Doctor froze and looked at her, his eyes wide. He looked like a goldfish, trying to speak, but no words coming out. Clara raised an eyebrow. "What?" She said, crossing her arms. The Doctor shook his head. He bit his lip, knowing the risks. But if it would make Clara happy...

"Victorian London it is."

**Woo! That was actually a fun chapter to write. I already have ideas for the next chapter, and I haven't even published this one yet! I'm just going to say, there's going to be a lot of ****_impossible _****things going on. See you soon! ~~FandomJas**


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